2020 BDR Appalachian Adventure Fundraiser

This June saw fifteen teams from twelve different countries take on the challenge of the Rickshaw Run Himalaya, a thrilling week-long adventure through the Indian Himalayas.

Following a route which included the ‘highest motorable road’ in the world; the Run saw teams having to battle with snow drifts and melting glaciers, potholes that were more like craters and the effects of high altitude.



Whilst the usual mode of transport for tourists in the Himalayas is by foot, The Adventurists, the organisers of the Run, chose a less conventional means for teams to get over over 5000-metre mountain passes, rickshaws.

The teams started in Leh, a high-desert city in northern India, and followed the famous Leh-Manali Highway and Spiti Valley, one of the last haunts of the snow leopard, and thousand-year-old Buddhist monasteries, to finish 650 miles later in the foothills of Shimla. ‘Highway’ is a very loose term for the route they followed, it’s only open for four months of the year and winds its way up and over three huge passes including the Tanglang La pass, at a dizzying height of 5328 meters.



All the teams finished, but not without overcoming some serious challenges along the way. Late June snowmelt meant the Leh - Manali highway was opened only 9 days before the event began, leaving the road in a treacherous condition. Single lane roads, walled by meters of solid ice caused a few headaches. At one point five Rickshaws were stuck at the Baralachala pass, with the teams banding together to push one another over the rocky, muddy, ice-encrusted pass; all the while enduring the impatient beeps of local bus drivers.

It was not only the Rickshaws that were struggling in these trying conditions. The teams recounted a story of pulling a car back onto the road that had slid into a ditch.

“There were about 20 of us pulling on this rope tied to the front of the car, about 10 Runners and 10 locals. It was crazy, we were slipping all over the place, the car was sliding everywhere, it was mayhem. But eventually we got him out and we could all keep going”.

First over the finish line were Team Hazmat who conquered the Rickshaw Run Himalaya in seven days.

Matt Whyatt, from the team, recounts some of the journey to success:

“I keep remembering moments, like wading through ice to push the rickshaw through and having nothing left due to the altitude. Turning corners to breathtaking view after breathtaking view. Turning up streets in towns so crowded we hit more than half a dozen people and all of them smiled because that’s what all the locals did. We got almost run off the road so we would stop for a photo. Having to slam on the brakes, locking all 3 wheels up, and coming so close to a bus I could not see the driver. Stopping on the side of the road to marvel at the various religious monuments. Getting a bit misty-eyed.”

If you fancy taking on the Himalayas ‘by less conventional means’ in 2020, or to find out more, visit https://www.theadventurists.com/brochures/rickshaw-run-himalaya/

What you get for your money

• The Rickshaw
A 3-wheeled, 4-stroke air-cooled rickshaw, pimped to your own design with insurance and all the other necessary paperwork

• Pre and Post-Launch Shenanigans
Test driving, mechanical briefing, launch party and finish party

• Some Kit
A jerry can and a few key spare parts plus the tools to change them

• The Adventure
A week of some of the most amazing adventuring possible in a rickshaw, or any three-wheeled vehicle for that matter

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
•  

Wanting to do something completely different, Sam Manicom learned to ride a motorcycle and within three months he’d set off to ride the length of Africa. This one-year trip turned into an eight-year epic across 55 countries. Now he want's to share his experiences and adventure with you!

---

Asia Presentation:

• Date: Friday, Sept. 6 2019 at 6pm
  Location: Go AZ Motorcycles
  16844 N. Arrowhead Fountain Center Dr.
  Peoria, AZ 85382 

Kicking off at 5.30pm with drinks and nibbles, Sam will be presenting on his 2 year journey across Asia. Travelling from Australia and New Zealand, up into steamy countries of SE Asia and then across to India, Nepal, Pakistan, Iran and Turkey.

Sam says, "This is the most colourful and culturally diverse part of the world I've been luck to ride. There’s some stunning riding to be done and some great tales of the road. Some are funny, some are mad, some about the people and their cultures, and some are situations where I was lucky to get away with my life. Disasters rather hunt me out..."

The tales include smugglers, his life being saved by a Thai prostitute, being arrested in an Indian port on dodgy documents, and dinner in the Australian Outback with an Aborigine. With photography that has been described as simply stunning Sam will take you riding with him across this magnificent part of the world.

Sam will have copies of his 4 books (Paperback and Audiobooks) with him and will be book signing before and after the presentation.

---

Incredible Africa Presentations:

• Date: Friday Sept. 8 2019 at 6pm
  Location: BMW Motorcycles of North Dallas
  900 K Ave #300, Plano, TX 75074

• Date: Saturday, Sept. 21 2019 at 5pm
  Location: Adventure Motorsports of NWF
  6330 Pensacola Blvd. FL 32505

• Date: Tuesday, Sept. 24 2019 at 6pm
  Location: Pandora’s European Motorsports
  4301 Hwy 58 Chattanooga, TN 37416

• Date: Friday Oct. 2 2019 at 7pm
  Location: Motorcycles of Charlotte
  31 Westinghouse Blvd.
  Charlotte, NC 28273

Sam Manicom rode around the world for 8 years and is now the author of 4 acclaimed motorcycle travel books. He will be talking about his journey through the first continent of his adventures. Africa. His multi-media presentation is going to take you the length of what is known as the ‘Dark Continent’, but in fact is a land full of the unexpected.



Sam says, ‘Africa is a continent that could easily be considered to be motorcycle paradise. It has everything a big trip should have. Stunning and ever changing landscapes, roads that range from gnarly dirt tracks and desert sands to beaten up single lane asphalt that’s so pockmarked by potholes that you’ll be practicing your slalom technique, to roads that meander through mountain ranges where around every corner is a landscape that has you wanting to stop and take it all in.’



Sam is a self-professed disaster magnet and you’ll find out that there are plenty of opportunities for things to go wrong; sometimes badly so. Sam talks about those times and how he dealt with them, and how many of those ‘moments’ turned into some of the best adventures a motorcycle traveler could have.



He will introduce you to the people, the cultures and has some real surprises in store for you. Whether you are dreaming about a big trip through this incredible continent, or love the idea of sitting back and listening to tales of the road, this evening with Sam will keep you entertained, and perhaps inspired…

Sam will have copies of his books with him and will be book signing before and after the presentation.

---

Learn more about Sam and his books by visiting Sam-Manicom.com.

There’s nothing better than trading stories around a campfire after a long day’s ride. Weekend warrior or world traveler, we all enjoy the comradery and excitement that dual-sport and ADV events have to offer. One of our goals is to share these grass-roots experiences with as many people as possible.



Whether you’re a first-time event organizer, or a developed establishment, ADVMoto wants to help promote your event! Our outlets can help you attract more attendees, find volunteers, or share the message of a charity that’s important to you.

ADVMotoEvents Promotion Includes:

1) Event posting on ADVMotoEvents.com map (this includes occasional information updates, before and after event)
2) Social media promotion on ADVMotoEvents and ADVMotoMag Facebook pages
3) A short follow up post (press release or event report) of content provided by event organizer with link to your event site.
4) (Optional) ADVMotoEvents Sponsorship

"MotoVermont has greatly benefited from working with ADVMoto over the past several years. ADVMoto is a top-notch publication with an incredible presence at adventure related events all over North America. You would be hard pressed to find an adventure motorcyclist that does not follow ADVMoto" -- Eric Milano, MotoVermont

ADVMotoEvents Promotion costs just $100 (paid via PayPal invoice after Event Form is Submitted), and FREE for non-profit organizations.

Thanks for working with us! Your event will reach thousands of riders who love ADV! Contact us HERE if you have any general questions, or questions regarding the event submission process.

• 
• 
•  

The Women’s Motorcyclist Foundation, Inc. (WMF) invites riders to develop and hone adventure riding skills at the female-focused 2019 DIRTY for GOOD dual-sport training camp at Rocky Gap State Park, MD, August 7 – 12, 2019. Everything is in place for a fantastic rider training experience designed to prepare participants to take on their own adventures in the future.

WMF, Inc., having previously hosted dual-sport rider training camps and tours in Colorado, California, Alaska plus the Yukon and Northwest Territories, now sees the need to provide such opportunities for dual sport and adventure riding camps East of the Mississippi. Not only has WMF discovered an array of dual sport and adventure riding opportunities in the East, its impetus has been further inspired by the completion of the Mid-Atlantic Backcountry Discovery Route (MABDR) and the present construction of the North East Backcountry Discovery (NEBDR) scheduled to be completed in January 2020.



DIRTY for GOOD Dual Sport Camps are female focused, but not exclusively female targeting motorcycle licensed beginner, novice to intermediate level dual-sport riders. DIRTY for GOOD Camps’ moderate price with a fundraising element, helps to encourage the uninitiated to give off-road riding a try. WMF, Inc. wants the number of off-road riders in general to grow and sees female riders as key to this progression. WMF also encourages lifelong learning through continuous and advanced training with organizations such as BMW Rider Academy Off-Road, Dragoo Adventure Rider Training, Xplor-International and RawHyde Adventure Training Camps.

For DIRTY for GOOD 2019, Xplor-International and SheADV are partnering with WMF to provide four days of professional dual-sport training. Riders will learn motorcycle maintenance skills, environmental stewardship practices and experience four days of safe dual-sport rider training through closed range exercises before moving out to situational training on trails.



“My dirt riding skills improved substantially! I gained the confidence to maneuver all kinds of terrain,” says Robin Bova, who has attended similar WMF camps in the past. Interestingly, Robin represents just one of the 76.48% of road riders who went on to purchase and ride dual sport and adventure bikes having trained initially through a WMF hosted dual sport camp.

The registration cost is $800 which covers four days of training, meals, camping space, T-Shirt, and other goodies. The Women’s Motorcyclist Foundation is an IRS registered 501(c)(3) charitable/educational organization.



Thus, registrants also agree to raise a minimum of $300, every penny of which goes towards three charitable initiatives including Final Salute, Inc., a non-profit organization serving female Veterans with safe and suitable housing. Final Salute, Inc. founder, Jas Booth says, “All monies will directly go toward housing homeless women veterans and their children and provide emergency services financial assistance to prevent homelessness.”

Funds will also go towards the Women’s Coalition of Motorcyclists, a non-profit organization which will use funding from the DIRTY for GOOD funding towards training a female off-road rider to become an off-road riding instructor. The third area for funding is youth off-road rider training. WMF, Inc. welcomes inquiries from certified dirt bike training schools.



For more information, visit http://bit.ly/DirtyForGoodWMF. To register for the camp online, visit https://womensmotorcyclistfoundation.org/dirty-for-good-registration/.